Class 7 Trip to Sanjay Van
6th March, 2018

Yesterday morning there was a surprise waiting for us in school.We were going to Sanjay Van! Till recently many ghost stories linked to the forest kept people away,but now you can see visitors at all times of the day.But one question intrigued me how can an 800 acre forest survive in such a huge and polluted city like Delhi? Though these questions and others were going to have to wait for our guide Mrs.Rawat. We all waited with bated breath to reach the forest which was located in the South Central Delhi ridge. When we finally reached the forest we set out on foot to take a look at the wonderful flora and fauna that it contained. A variety of animals such as the nilgai, golden jackal, snakes and butterflies thrive in the forest. Lots of birds are found here too, for example the common moorhen, white breasted water hen and the Jacobin cuckoo, a migrant from Africa. Some of the flora we saw was the churail tree(witch tree) which glows in the dark, scaring the villagers who think it is a ghost hence its name. We also saw trees such as the hingot tree and the bamboo tree.
The highlight of our trip was when we climbed up a machan though climbing the stairs to reach it was a bit scary as the machan was quite high. From on top of the machan we saw a golden jackal prowling in the jungle and a nilgai resting in the shade of a tree we had to walk a long way to reach the machan, but it was worth it. In other words we had a lot of fun!!
Rayyan Kidwai-7A

Yesterday, Class 7-A went to a very beautifully nurtured and sprawling Natural Reserve situated in Mehrauli on the South Central Ridge called Sanjay Van.As soon as I went there I knew I was going to like it because you could see the Qutub Minar from in-between two trees. The view was picturesque. Mr Rajendra Singh helped in making this wonderful home for different species.It was once a Ronjh Forest,with numerous numbers of tigers but soon after that,human beings started cutting the Ronjh trees and because of this tigers started leaving this forest.Now there are only a few 5 Ronjh trees left in the forest. This, being a very unique reserve/forest because it is the only forest located in the middle of a city, had many problems of its own.For example,citizens of New Delhi would come and construct things inside the Reserve.This is why the DDA(Delhi Development Authority) restored it in 2005 and prohibited any construction inside it. Mrs.Rawat ,our guide, told us that this humongous Reserve, measuring around 800 acres was part of the Aravalis.

Along with this, it had a vast amount of Flora and Fauna which were all very diverse in their own ways.It had many trees like Taint, Heens, Neem, Bamboo, Dhak(which was the flame of the forest because of the huge amount of them) and Bougainvillea. However, the most appalling ones were Villaiti Keekad and Chudail Papdi. This was because these had many unique and special abilities unlike the others. The Villaiti Keekad, described as greedy and selfish as it grows very fast, sucked up all the water preventing other plants from being able to suck the water which causes them to die.Native trees were actually disappearing because of this. This is why the DDA wants to detach this tree from the forest and plant other trees like the Ronjh. There are also positions given to the trees. For example, the king of the forest is RONJH, the queen is JAAL, the soldier is HINGOT and the witch is CHUDAIL PAPDI. The Chudail Papdi, also known as the Haunted Tree, acquired its name because it glows at night because if its White Bach.This is why everyone used to think that it's a ghost and run away.Some of the fauna included Blue Bull, Jackal, Common Egrets, Parakeets, Peacocks and Peahens.

We also saw 5 lakes that was made by using the water from STP (Sewage Treatment Plant). These lakes had a foam fountain connecting each lake. The foam had come from different colonies.We also saw Check Dams which did rain water harvesting. They collected the rain water and stored it within a stone layer.They have water throughout the year that can be used if there is a shortage of water.The most fascinating thing I found were the 'Genes'. They would listen to whatever you wished and if you didn't tell them something to do, they would kill you.
All in all, it was a great experience which expanded our knowledge about our surroundings.I hope to come here again.

Anivartin Daga-7A

Admist a bustling city stands a green lung for this polluted city. As we entered the Sanjay van we felt this air of freshness and the smell of wet grass and lakes enchanted my spirits. The Sanjay van welcomed us to sprawling to 800 acres. The history of this forest fascinated me. Located in in Mehrauli on the South Central Ridge. Mrs. Rawat explained to us how the DDA conserved this reserve vilayti keekar a plant from Mexico is a greedy plant. It was planted in a hurry and absorbs all the water from underground. We learnt about a witch haunting this breathtaking reserve called 'chudail papdi' is known to be haunted because it grows in the dark. Scary!! The native species are more beneficial to grow in this reserve as it adapts faster. The Ronjh, Neem, Tesu, Hinot and Bistrndu are just a few trees we saw. The native species of trees are more beneficial as they adapt quickly to the soil/land . The excitement was all about spotting a Nilgai or blue bull, appealing with a shiny teel colour our batch spotted two but the atrocious clement to the clean sewage treated lakes were the Vasant Kunj caolinies polluting it. It ruined the natural beauty of the wading ducks. As we walked down the machan building the view of the Qutub Minar goodbye we rushed to reach in time.
Girdhar Chandok-7A